St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-26
Beauregard's Pretty Spy.

Il
New York Sun.
Gen4Beauregard, whose headquarters
are in the New York hotel, still pre-
serves many of the characteristics that
made him pet in the confederacy dur
ing the war. His strong French face is
furrOwed by scarcely wrinkle, and,
despite his sixty years of age, he is as
1.-the, active and muscular as an athlete
of thirty. His manners, though quiet.
are remarkably graceful, and there are
few men in public life who are more
easy of approach. He is, Withal, "a great
favOrite of the fair sex, and it is said
that some of the best secret service done
while he was in command was performed
by ladies, especially when social di-
plOmacy was the chief weapon to be
employed.
One of these was sent from Virginia
to Washington in 1862 to obtain, if pos
Sible, the roster of McClellan's army
and such other information as might in
dictate the plans of the general with ref
erence to an advance on Centerville.
She was amply provided with means,
and ably performed the mission. When
she returned. it was by way Of the Po-
tOmac, opposite DumfrieS, Va, an out
post under the command of Gen. then
colonel Wade Hampton. with his own
Hampton legion. That gallant soldier
at once forwarded the fair spy to Beau
regard, whose headquarters were at
Centeryille. Her baggage consisted
only of pet skye terrier and small
into the presence of the general,
and with true womanly volu-
bility proceeded to entertain him
with description of her adventures
and their result. Beauregard patiently
allowed the lingual freShet to flow ON
naturally, SuppOSing that when she got
tired she would produce the dispatches.
But the little wOman's tongue was hung
in the middle and Wagged at both ends,
and, moreover, she was too pretty to be
silenced abruptly. Finally the general,
unable to restrain his anxiety any
longer, said: ''Well. Mrs. NJ, where
are your papers?' ''Why. general, I've
been trying to tell you the news already.
Don't you see it wouldn't have been
safe to bring important papers on my
person, and so | familiariZed myself
with their contents. The fact is that
| have been suspected and searched
already. so that it's lucky Eve a good
memory" Beauregard, now unable
to conceal his chagrin any longer,
frankly told the lady he was grievously
disappointed, having waited for the dis
patches for Il long time, and could place
but little reliance on memory of so
many figures and details. Therefore
her mission had proved of little use.
She listened to his scolding with de-
mure air. and when he had finished
looked at him with a mischievOuS twin
kle i'll her eye, and called to her dog:
Here, FlOy!' The Skye terrier
jumped in heg lap. General. have you
a knife about you?" The knife was
produced. Then she turned the ami
NAL over OH its back, and. to the amaze
ment of Beauregard, deliberately pro-
ceeded to rip him open. In less
than it takes to tell it she held in
one hand the precious papers and
in the other the skin of the skye ter
rier. while prancing about the floor was
a diminutive black and tan pup, over
jOyed at his relief from an extra cuticle.
The Shlewd woman had Sewed her dis
patches between the two skins in man
ner that defied detection, and under the
very noses of the federal videttes had
carried some of the most important in
formation transmitted during the war
1t is needless to say that Beauregard
was delighted, and it was but little
while after this incident that Mcclellan
advanced OH Centerville, only to find
deserted camps, batteries of Quaker
guns and the confederate army falling
back toward Richmond and Yorktown.
Between the dog and pretty woman
the general had got the Tip" Is it a
wonder that he is deyotee of the fair
sex?